I hope the pace on track is better than pace of this project

[kverges]

Yes, it is an AiM dash, no weight yet, will do that when I do the alignment and setup, but that is a little ways down the road. Been too busy to even try to fire it up lately.

[kverges]

Update. Finally got engine to fire after getting the Hydra to properly turn on all the multi-finction relays for fuel, crank and injectors/coil packs, installed RC injectors and got battery relocation and kill switch set up. Next step is to get the Hydra to properly send RS232 data to the dash and get all the misc data acquisition sensors and other sensors installed, as well as electrical switchgear and warning lamps for ABS, Alt, oil press, etc.

Meantime, here it is without the rear clam:

[mrhatmostly]

Originally Posted by kverges

is that a scary arse "pumpkin rim" in the background??

[kverges]

Thanks for the helpful question. The answer is a long and unrelated story and the punkin actually found its way into the BWTM page of Autoweek last year.

Hydra now talks to the AiM dash, which is pretty cool - I get IAT, coolant temp, rpm, lambda and more on the dash with nothing but the single RS232 input to the dash. I know it is old-school serial data, but it never ceases to amaze me when it actually works, like every time an airplane actually flies.

Misc electrical projects are to wire in warning lamps for alt, ABS, brake, etc from the soon-to-be-set-aside stock dash, switchgear to turn on dash independent of ignition, run heat soak pump, then to figure out how to adapt variable resistance fuel level to be an analog channel on the dash for a fuel gauge, install and calibrate WBO2. Oh and it would be cool to have the stock wheel speed sensor drive the AiM dash and Hydra, not only for display purposes, but also to enable traction control as a possibilty in the maps.

Then the manifold and oil/water plumbing to the turbo needs to be finally bolted in place with extra adaptors to run the oil pressure gauge and sensor input to the AiM dash.

Then the boost control solenoid and control wiring.

And I am sure I am forgettnig a few other items

When everthing nominally works, I can start cleaning up the rat's nest of wires and tool around the neighborhood trying to get idle and low rpm tuning set up before it goes into the shop to do cosmetics and finish the cage.

lots to do!

[kverges]

Car warms up and idles fine; coolant system is now purged of air and the car will idle for a very long time and not overheat just from convection over the radiator (no cooling fans). The Hydra controls are incredibly detailed. For startup alone there is (1) primer control; (2) cranking enrichment; (2) post-start enrichment; (3) the fuel map itself; (4) temperature trim to fuel map; (5) idle speed target map; and (6) detailed controls for the ISC motor via pulse-width modulated output.

I was able to scavenge from the dash and engine wiring enough usable, non-CAN outputs to have warning lamps for (1) oil pressure; (2) ABS; (3) alternator; (4) brake; and (5) check engine. The latter is a Hydra output that warns of detonation, a nice safety feature.

On engine shutdown, if you key back on, the heatsoak pump runs with engine off until coolant temp reaches 85 deg C; the turbo is in the circulation path, so I can cool down without engine running (important due to lack of cooling fans). Better than a turbo timer IMO, although I will probably need to have an external power supply due ot the fact that I use a PC680 battery.

Got the AiM sensors mostly installed, and even have a custom channel for fuel level. I had the fuel pump module out of the car and for mine, with a 5V reference signal, the empty voltage was .3 volts and full voltage was 4.6 volts. AiM software allows the dash to take that voltage and display a percentage output.

AiM channels displayed are (1) water temp; (2) oil temp; (3) oil pressure; (4) lambda; (5) intake air temp; and (6) fuel level. I can log many more via either the AiM dash or the Hydra itself.

I have been playing with the basic fuel map and the start/idle controls to get a decent idle and it is pretty good, especially when warmed up. It never gets old to sit a few feet from the car and make it do things just by pressing buttons on the computer.

Now back to mechanical/cosmetic things including (1) finish cage and bond to chassis; (2) make body less ugly; (3) mill front steering arm for anticipated camber; (4) fabricate splitter; and (5) miscellaneous details.

Then the real tuning under load, boost and to alter the VVT map for a turbo.

At least the thing runs, which was a real challenge when you physically cut off the stock ECU connectors, a very scary point of no return.

[Rat27]

Very cool project. Thanks for sharing.

[kverges]

Hopefully the last missing piece was to get the VSS signal to be recognized by the Hydra and AiM dash. That seems to work from the ABS tone ring output, which is a 0-2.5 Volt square wave.

For those who are trying to do the same or similar, I have attached my wiring information.

[jim-clayton]

Thanks for the wiring schematic. Good info!

I have been working on a similar document for the EFI.

[cokey]

what size turbo are you running?

[kverges]

GT 28 RS, with .84 (I think) A/R exhaust turbine

[cokey]

84 ... wont tht spool up slow..

[Bender Rodríguez]

Originally Posted by cokey

84 ... wont tht spool up slow..

I doubt it, given that there is no other real source of back pressure in the exhaust system.

[kverges]

I run a .61 A/R on the miata turbo race cars, but they are all done at 7000 rpm. This car has an extra 1500 rpm so the rpm range on track will be 4500+ to 8500 rpm, at which point I hope the turbo will be at pretty much full song, but we shall see. I just did not want the extra exhaust restriction of the .61 on the Elise.

I run exactly the same setup on my street car and have full boost by about 3800 rpm, which I can live with. And that is with a cat after the turbo. The track car has a 3" exhaust that is about 24" long.

Only time will tell.

[BlankCzech]

Originally Posted by Chili Red

Its no beauty queen, but I bet that car is going to be smoking fast. Ive seen it in your garage up at Cresson a few times and it looks crazy light.

That car screams speed

[wes]

.86 disco potato will rock out on that motor! Full boost by 3500ish RPM's and should rip to red-line. I use the same turbo on my 1.6 200sx track car and it is a killer turbo!

Nice project.

Is the oil drain headed up hill or is are the lines not routed yet? Running a stock oil cooler on this car?

[DWebb]

Please make airfoils for roll-bars. When you get to that point of course.
How much boost you plan to run?
Iza motor built or stock internals?

That's gonna be nice.
scary but nice.
nice and scary.

SO YOUR PRETTY TALL, HUH?
It's cool, some tall people suck.
I'll bet your nothing like them at all.


Hope you'll find my rambling as entertaining as I'm finding your project.
I love it
Darrell

[JungleJim]

Looks like the modern re-incarnation of the VW Dune Buggy. Nice job.

[kverges]

Nearing complete assembly; down to details like front splitter, cleanup of wiring and plumbing, and then the time consuming setup and tune and certain teething issues. Car weighs 1699 with full tank of fuel, 38% front, 62% rear, near equal cross weights (w/o driver). Radiator is Sector 111 two-pass radiator, stock dual oil coolers, Evo X intercooler in the back, Stock 2ZZ for now, 15 x 7 front wheel, 15 x 8 rear with 23 x 8 cantilever slicke up front and 23 x 9 slicks in back.

[kverges]

Cage is bonded with the Loctite/Hysol 8400 material detailed more here:

What adhesive is used to bond the Elise Chassis?

It sets up at room temp and is an extremely strong and fatigue-reistant 10:1 methyl methacrylate structural adhesive. Detail photos below ore of front and rear hoops at the cage/fram interface. Front hoop is a cap bond over longitudinal frame rail with an "L" that bonds to the "knee" or horizontal frame rail. Rear hoop is an "L" bond that is also bolted to factory bosses. When we made test bonds, the material failed before the bond did and the cured adhesive is harder to drill than the aluminum substrate. I am confident this cage is going nowhere and has nascar door bars both sides, plus it ties into the front and rear shock towers.

[turbophil]

Looks like she's coming together quite well

Perhaps I'm being picky, but why the hollow core rivets? I know you're confident about the adhesive, but if you're going to the trouble of riveting (which is a VERY good idea), why not use a solid core pop rivets since they're WAAAAY stronger in sheer

Best,

TP